Method for cleaning a submerged surface



Dec. 28, 1965 H. N. ARMBRUST METHOD FOR CLEANING A SUBMERGED SURFACE Filed April 19, 1962 INVENTOR.

HENRY N. ARMBRUST ATTORNEYS United States Patent f 3,226,259 METHOD FOR CLEANING A SUBMERGED SURFACE Henry N. Armbrust, 13 Melrose St., Jamestown, RJ. Filed Apr. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 188,674 2 Claims. (Cl. 134-21) This invention relates to the cleaning of a submerged surface such, for instance, as the walls of a swimming pool, an aquatic mammal or bird display pool or tank, or an aquarium.

Heretofore in the use of swimming pools, it has been necessary from time to time to clean the Walls of the surface which contains the liquid so as to remove therefrom algae or bacteria or stains which may cling to the surface. The cleaning of a surface of this character usually requires the draining of the water from the pool in order to make the surface accessible as many times the surface cannot be Well cleaned by brushing the submerged surface. Some of the materials to be cleaned from the surface also require treatment by some chemicals or scouring agents which it is desired should not be allowed to get into the pool where they might affect the animal life such as fish or mammals which are in the pool.

One of the objects of this invention is to chemically treat the surface of a wall of a pool or tank or any submerged surface without allowing the treating chemical to mix with the submerging liquid such as the water in the pool.

More specifically, an object of this invention is to seal off an area of the surface to be cleaned and then treat that area and then proceed to another area until the entire surface to be cleaned is covered.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus of a simple form which may be utilized for accomplishing this result.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of a certain novel construction and a method of procedure as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the apparatus which is used in connection with this invention in position for cleaning the vertical surface of a pool or tank with the connections to the part which engages the vertical surface;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG.

3 of the part of the apparatus which engages the wall to be cleaned; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the showing in FIG. 2.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide a wall which may have flanges extending therefrom to engage and seal against the surface to be cleaned and enclose an area to be treated, and I provide connections through this wall by which the water entrapped by the flanged wall may be withdrawn and the area to be cleaned flushed with a chemical for cleaning the surface by filling the evacuated space so as to treat or clean the segregated surface area without the chemical contaminating the water of the pool, after which this chemical may be withdrawn and replaced with fresh water and then the device moved to a new location for progressively cleaning a surface by chemical treatment.

With reference to the drawings, designates the water of a pool or tank having a containing bottom wall 11 and a vertical side wall 12. The level of the water 10 is shown at 13. The apparatus which is to be used for cleaning algae or bacteria growth or stains from the looking at the right-hand side 3,226,259 Patented Dec. 28, 1965 vertical Wall 12 is illustrated generally at 14 (FIG. 2) and comprises a rigid wall 15 reinforced by longitudinal ribs 16 and cross ribs 17. End flanges 18 and side flanges 19 extend from the periphery of the wall on one face of the wall, and a water resistant soft gasket material 20 engages these flanges and extends along their inner edges as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This soft material enables a liquid seal to be had by pressing the wall and its flanges against the surface 12 so as to en gage an area which is to be cleaned while the wall is spaced from this surface to provide a containing chamber 21.

A conduit 22 extends through the wall 15 at its lower portion as at 23 and is connected to some sort of a liquid evacuating means 24 which may be either a pump or an eductor as shown in FIG. 1 which operates in response to passing water through the eductor to evacuate the contents of the chamber 21. The content of this chamber 21 will in the first instance be the water of the pool which is entrapped by the placing of the apparatus 14 against the wall 12. Evacuation may be had down to about 20" vacuum by operating the evacuating means 24 which in turn introduces fluid thru conduit 26, and as the vacuum increases by throttling of the inlet conduit 26 fluid flow, the pressure on the ribbed surface of the wall 15 opposite the chamber will force the flanges and gasket against the wall so as to provide a tight seal. The pressure on a wall of the size which I have found satisfactory is about 50 pounds or about three quarter of a pound per square inch.

A conduit 26 extends through the wall as at 27 at the upper portion and is connected to a source for passing a chemical solution into the chamber 21. This chemical solution may be supplied by water 28 in container 29 being drawn by an aspirator action at 362 as chlorine gas under pressure is supplied from a tank 30 through a chlorine feeder 31 to conduit 38. The flow in conduit 39 to the aspirator may be controlled by valve 33.

After a partial vacuum has been drawn in the chamber 21 by the operation of the evacuating means and a restricted flow of fluid 28 thru conduit 26 controlled by valve 33, chemically treated water may be fed into the chamber 21 and allowed to stand a sufficient length of time to treat the area 35 of the surface to be cleaned which is embraced by the flanges and gasket 20. At the end of the chemical cleaning period, the valve 40 is closed whereupon water 28 from the container 29 con tinues through the apparatus and flushes it. The operation of the evacuating means 24 is then shut down whereupon the pressures inside and outside the cleaning apparatus 14 are equalized and the apparatus can then be moved to a new position.

A convenient manipulating means is a handle 36 connected by a ball and socket joint 37 to the wall 15 by which the device 14 may be manipulated from one location to another.

I claim:

1. The method of treating a submerged surface with a liquid which comprises positioning a wall spaced from the area of the surface to be treated and sealing the wall adjacent its periphery to the surface to prevent the flow of liquid beneath said wall, extracting the submerging liquid from the sealed area providing a partial vacuum therein, and then conducting a treating chemical solution to the sealed area and to said vacuum and then extracting the chemical solution from the sealed area and then positioning the wall over a different area of the submerged surface and repeating the operation.

2. The method of treating a submerged surface with a liquid which comprises positioning a wall spaced from the area of the surface to be treated and sealing the wall 3 4 adjacent its periphery to the surface to prevent the flow References Cited by the Examiner of liquid beneath said Wall, extracting the submerging UNITED STATES PATENTS liquid from the sealed area providing a partial vacuum 598 250 2/1898 Jackson 134 169 therein, and then conducting a treating chemical solu- 932:738 8/1909 Wilson tion to the sealed area and to said vacuum, and then 5 1 23 3 3 4 1927 Schwanke 134 1 9 extracting the chemical solution from the sealed area, 2,240,364 4/ 1941 Kimball 134-21 then flushing the chemical solution from the treated area, 3,073,727 1/ 1963 Mullinix et al. 134-21 and then removing the wall from the treated area and l I repositioning the Wall over a different area of the sub- 10 DONALL SYLVESTER Examine merged surface and repeating the operation. CHARLES A. WILLMUT H, Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF TREATING A SUBMERGED SURFACE WITH A LIQUID WHICH COMPRISES POSITIONING A WALL SPACED FROM THE AREA OF THE SURFACE TO BE TREATED AND SEALING THE WALL ADJACENT ITS PERIPHERY TO THE SURFACE TO PREVENT THE FLOW OF LIQUID BENEATH SAID WALL, EXTRACTING THE SUBMERGING LIQUID FROM THE SEALED AREA PROVIDING APARTIAL VACUUM THEREIN, AND THEN CONDUCTING A TREATING CHEMICAL SOLUTION 